London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
City of London 1936
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]
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city mortuary.
| Bodies received at the Mortuary to await burial | 103 |
| Post-Mortem examinations made | 55 |
| Inquests held on bodies | 62 |
| Inquests held on fires | 3 |
The following tabulation shows the work carried out at the Mortuary and Coroner's Court during the past five years:—
| Year. | Articles disinfected. | Bodies received at the Mortuary. | Inquests held on bodies. | Post-Mortem Examinations. | Inquests held on Fires. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 155,324 | 133 | 127 | 77 | l |
| 1932 | 234,170 | 142 | 90 | 91 | 2 |
| 1933 | 233,821 | 114 | 71 | 77 | 2 |
| 1934 | 243,939 | 121 | 81 | 69 | 2 |
| 1935 | 248,031 | 111 | 74 | 65 | 4 |
| Average for previous 5 years | 223,057 | 124 | 89 | 76 | 2 |
| 1936 | 170,726 | 103 | 62 | 55 | 3 |
Disinfection.—Trade.—In accordance with the requirements of the South African
Government, the disinfection of second-hand clothing, prior to export to that country, has
been carried on as usual.
The following table gives the details of the work of disinfection carried out at the Disinfecting Station during the year in connection with the export trade:—
| Number of Certificates issued. | Number of articles disinfected. | Fees received by the Corporation. |
|---|---|---|
| 447 | 169,083 | £289 |
Other disinfection and cleansing work carried out during the year is as follows:—
| Articles disinfected after cases of infectious disease, &c. | 1,643 |
| Library Books disinfected | 0 |
| Public Vehicles—Electric Ambulance | 4 |
| Cells at Police Stations | 0 |
| Premises disinfected (including offices) | 129 |
| Lockers disinfected at request of General Post Office Authorities | 103 |
| Horsehair (cases) | 25 |
| Number of verminous persons bathed | 123 |
| Number of articles of clothing disinfected | 1,321 |
| Total number of children cleansed | 1,284 |
| Number of articles of clothing disinfected | 4,512 |
| Articles of clothing destroyed at request of owners | 1 |
| Other articles destroyed at request of owners | 2 |
Preservation of Bodies of Unknown Dead.—The De Rechter apparatus for the preservation
of the dead, installed at the City Mortuary, in March, 1909, was fully described in the
Annual Report of that year. It has proved of considerable assistance in connection with
the identification of persons found drowned in the River Thames. During 1936 five bodies
were placed in the apparatus, all of which were subsequently identified.